A/N: Eh... Sorry it's been so long, everyone n.n;; Here's Ch12, at last. Read and review please!

"Higurashi" by Jezunya
Chapter 12 - Seeress

He ran through the corridors of the Time palace, walls and doorways flying past him in a dark blur. He only paid his surroundings enough heed to keep from running into walls and pillars, but otherwise he was completely focused on the scent trail before him. It was easy enough to follow. She hadn't even tried to mask her scent, not that it would have done any good. He'd know her stench anywhere – not to mention she reeked of Kagome's blood.

A new wave of rage poured through him, and he didn't even mind the flashes of red before his eyes. The rage was about the only thing keeping him from collapsing and he knew it. His eyes narrowed as the scent grew stronger. She was close. He put on a new burst of speed and found himself back in the reception hall.

There she was. She was just standing there, staring into one of the mirrors with her back to him. He couldn't suppress a growl as he drew Tetsusaiga and crouched low in preparation to spring at her.

She must have heard him, because she suddenly blinked and looked over her shoulder at him, her eyes widening when they landed on him. "How the hell did you get here!" Marudashi screeched, whipping around to face him completely. Inuyasha just growled in response.

Marudashi snorted and straightened, folding her arms across her chest and giving him a cool look. "Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You've had enough dumb luck on your side so far it's no wonder you managed to find your way here."

Inuyasha snarled and leapt at her, swinging Tetsusaiga.

Marudashi just laughed and danced out of the way. "But don't worry," she taunted, "I've got my own luck. And as you can see, it's serving me quite well!" She snapped her fingers, and Inuyasha froze mid-strike. He couldn't even widen his eyes in shock. Marudashi came close to whisper in his ear. "I could send you to see your beloved Kagome," she purred, while her hands worked on extracting Tetsusaiga from his grip. "If you want, I could even behead you with your own sword. Ah!" She grinned at him as the fang came free, then frowned as it de-transformed. "Hm. Maybe not then," she sighed, her lip curling as she inspected the rusted katana blade. "Although…" The smile returned and she slanted him a mischievous look. "It's always fun to chop somebody up with a dull sword." She kicked up and hit him in the stomach, sending his frozen form toppling backward. Halfway to the floor, his body came unfrozen and he fell in a crumpled heap, already in pain and trying to catch his breath from the blow to his midsection. "Now, that's much better," Marudashi grinned, advancing on him, Tetsusaiga braced on her shoulder. "After all, it's no fun if I can't hear you scream."

Inuyasha snarled at her, leaping away as she swung the katana. Once again, though, he found his body frozen in place when he hit the floor. "Bitch! What the hell is this!" he snarled.

Marudashi grinned as she came the kneel in front of him. "This is fun, that's what! I can stop time for your body, or even just part of your body, like everything from the neck down! Oh, I love this!" she giggled. "This way, you can't fight back, but I can still get your reaction when I start cutting you up into little pieces." Her smile widened and she raised Tetsusaiga over her head. "Now, what shall we cut off first?"

Suddenly, something huge and black barreled into her, bowling her over and sending the katana skittering across the floor, out of reach. Marudashi leapt back to her feet and whirled around, snarling, poised to attack. She froze, though, her face shocked, at the sight that met her. "Meisai?"

The younger fox-demon changed back from her sphynx form but remained where she was, crouched in front of Inuyasha's frozen form, replying only with a deep, furious snarl. Marudashi blinked once, and then her face darkened, contorting with rage. "You little traitor..!"

"You dare call me a traitor!" Meisai snarled, rising from her crouch. "I have always been faithful to our goddess!"

Marudashi smirked. "Yes, you have, haven't you? Well, I now have within me the powers of the Time Goddess," her hands crackled with black energy, "so bow and show your mistress proper respect!"

Meisai barely dodged the blow, grabbing a fistful of Inuyasha's haori and dragging him along with her. Behind her, several mirrors disappeared into a shimmering pile of sand and silver where the black energy struck them. Meisai's eyes widened as she watched. She's.. sending them back to their original form!

Marudashi followed her gaze to the pulverized mirrors, smirking. "Yes… Just think, how far could I send you back, hm? Till you're a helpless infant? Or perhaps farther… I should send you back to before your wretched father even conceived you! Before you even existed!" She raised her arm, grinning maniacally, and threw another bolt of dark energy at her. Meisai leapt backwards to dodge, still dragging Inuyasha with her, and right into one of the mirrors. The glass rippled like water as it swallowed them up, leaving Marudashi alone in the reception hall.

8 8 8

"Get off me!" Inuyasha yelled, throwing Meisai off of where she had landed sprawled across his back. He stood and shook himself off, growling loudly, and looked around. "What the hell..? We're in the well?"

Meisai didn't respond, just slowly standing and dusting herself off. She couldn't bring herself to face him. They'd lost – the battle with Marudashi, the struggle to restore the Time Goddess, everything. "Come on… Marudashi might try to follow us if we stay here," she said quietly, gripping the wall with her claws to begin climbing out.

"Wait a minute – you're not going anywhere!" Inuyasha snarled, and seized her around the middle, ripping her away from the wall.

"What are you-!" Meisai started, but broke off with a gasp when she was slammed back against the packed earth of the side of the well. When she opened her eyes again, she was met with the sight of two enraged gold orbs glaring hatefully into her own dark ones.

"This is all your fault! You led Kagome to that place, you got her killed! You-"

"I did what I thought was right!" Meisai spat back at him. "You're the one who was supposed to be her protector!"

Inuyasha let go of her and turned away, but not before Meisai saw the grief-stricken look come onto his face. She sighed heavily, her shoulders slumping tiredly. "Look, we've both suffered a terrible loss. I know.. I know you loved her. So did I, in a way – she was my people's last hope for regaining what we'd lost." She stared at the dog-demon's tense back; he seemed to be shaking slightly. "But… there's nothing we can do now. She's gone."

"Shut up." The words were quiet, but strained. There was a flash of red and white, and then Meisai was alone in the well.

8 8 8

Inuyasha ran blindly, tearing through his forest with terrifying speed. The fox's words echoed through his head.

"There's nothing we can do now. She's gone."

He clenched his eyes shut. No..!

It wasn't Meisai's fault, he knew – it was his own blindness that had gotten her killed. He'd let himself be fooled by that kitsune-bitch, Marudashi. He should have been able to tell it was a trick! If he hadn't fallen for it – hadn't let himself fall for it – Kagome wouldn't have seen him with that Marudashi bitch and she wouldn't have run off to the other side of the well and let Meisai take her to the Time Palace. And then, on top of that, he'd gotten there too late and had wasted time wandering around with Meisai. If he'd only been quicker-!

"There's nothing we can do now."

He shook his head, slowing. He couldn't keep going like this. He would have to go back to the village eventually. He'd… He'd have to tell the others what happened.

He stopped entirely, closing his eyes and dropping to his knees. "Kagome…" He clenched his fists hard enough to draw blood from his own palms. The noise started as a small whimper of pain in the back of his throat, but quickly ripped its way out of him as a chilling howl of pure grief.

All throughout the forest, animals were sent diving for their burrows and thickets, and villagers within a ten mile radius paused in their work to wonder what sort of demon could make such an ungodly sound.

8 8 8

Shippou was the first to notice his return. "Inuyasha!" he yelled, leaping off the porch and straight onto the dog-demon's shoulder. "Something's wrong with Meisai, but she won't tell us what and- uh- What's wrong with your face!"

The dog-demon looked away, lightly brushing the kitsune cub off his shoulder, and continued on into the hut, not even sparing a glance at the Kurostune now disguised as a human again. "Kaede! Baba, you in?" he called as he brushed the reed door aside, wincing slightly when his voice cracked.

He found the old miko seated by her cooking fire, Sango and Miroku beside her. She frowned up at him, her one eye sweeping over him, taking in his flushed face and red-rimmed eyes. "Inuyasha, what is wrong? You… appear to have been weeping…"

The other two were staring up at him with mixed expressions of horror and concern. "Did something happen with Kagome-chan?" Sango asked, sitting up on her knees, worried. Miroku simply watched him, his face just as worried as the other two, and waited for his reply.

He stared down at them, momentarily at a loss for what to say. He was vaguely aware of Shippou creeping in through the doorway, his worry and fear nearly tangible, and of Meisai, sitting stiffly just outside the door on the porch. Finally, he drew a long, shaky breath and began.

"Yes. Something happened to Kagome…"

8 8 8

Outside, Meisai slowly let her disguise slip away, her tail shimmering into view and her ears elongating to elfish points. Claws appeared at the end of her fingers, and her clothes morphed back from the yukata of her human disguise to her own tunic and leggings. It was useless to try to hide now, what with Inuyasha telling his companions the whole story, including who and what she was. She frowned, though, when he completely left out why Kagome was in the Time Palace to begin with – that she was the Time Goddess!

She sighed then, telling herself to let it go. She was dead, so what did it matter what she was? It would be cruel to stop Inuyasha in the middle of his tale – better just to let him get it over with and not have to linger on the particulars of Kagome's death. Not to mention it would draw attention to the fact that she was the one who had led the girl to the Time Palace, and ultimately her death. Definitely not something she wanted to dwell on.

Meisai stared down at the wood grain of the porch visible between her feet, letting her mind wander away from the dog-demon's voice droning on inside the hut. Why couldn't Kagome have been born a regular girl? Why couldn't she have just lived a safe, secure life, without having to worry about shattered jewels or reincarnations or goddesses or any of it? Why did any of it have to happen!

…And, most of all, why did she have to die?

8 8 8

"We should give her a proper burial," Sango said softly, breaking the heavy silence that had fallen over the hut's inhabitants. Inuyasha twitched, Shippou sniffled, and Kaede just nodded slowly.

"Yes. Perhaps Meisai could, ah… retrieve the, uh…" Miroku agreed, but then seemed to find it difficult to continue.

"I'll do it," Inuyasha said, his voice eerily calm, not looking up from where he had been staring down at the floor. "And I'll kill Marudashi while I'm there."

The reed door of the hut was suddenly thrust aside and Meisai appeared standing in the doorway, tail lashing back and forth, a furious scowl set on her face. "You idiot!" she yelled at him, her form shaking slightly with rage. "You can't fight Marudashi, don't you get it!"

The dog-demon was expressionless as he stared up at her. "Why not?"

"She's absorbed Kagome's powers on top of her own, stupid! You're no match for her!"

The grim, steady gaze he sent her told her he already knew all that – especially the part about him being no match for her.

Meisai blinked once, half-frowning. "So, it's suicide, huh?" She looked away, a pained smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Well, I can respect that." Then, even as the humans in the room were still reeling with the implications of what she had said and that Inuyasha had not denied it, a red and white blur sped past her and out of the hut, rustling her hair slightly as he passed.

"Wait, Inuyasha-!" Shippou screamed after the dog-demon, beginning to give chase.

"Give it up, kit," Meisai said, looking in the direction Inuyasha had gone. "He has to do this."

"But-" He sniffled once, then said in a small voice, "I.. I don't wanna lose another papa…"

Meisai turned to look down at the cub with pity in her eyes, then froze. Shippou looked up at her, emerald eyes glistening with his tears. Green eyes… Why hadn't she noticed before? "They, uh.." She stopped, tried to clear the sudden lump from her throat. "Kagome and Inuyasha.. They were like your parents, huh?"

Shippou sniffled again, nodded. "Inuyasha can be a jerk sometimes, but I.. I don't want him to die!" he cried, and burst into tears again.

Meisai felt her resolve harden. "Don't worry. I'll make sure he gets back here in one piece – if I have to drag him back by his ears." She assured him, then turned to the door and was gone.

8 8 8

She found him at the well. He was covered in dirt, and was climbing out of the dark shaft just as she got there.

"Stupid well won't let me through!" he snarled before she could even ask. He reached the top, pulled himself up onto the wooden rim, turned, and leapt back in. He impacted with the ground with a loud thud and a snarled curse.

"You're trying to get to the Time Palace?" Meisai asked, leaning over the edge.

"Yes, damnit! What did you think!"

Meisai rolled her eyes but held a hand out to him. "Come back up here. I can get you there."

Inuyasha watched her suspiciously, then leapt up and out to land beside her on the wood rim. "What're you planning, bitch?" he asked, a growl in his voice.

"This well was originally set up to be a portal for time-users, like us Kurotsune," she said flatly, ignoring his attitude. "Just hold onto me when we go through, and it'll take us back to the Palace."

He wrinkled his nose at the idea, but took her offered hand nonetheless. Meisai counted to three and they jumped in. The well disappeared around them, and they found themselves in the chilling river of fog before the Time Palace once again.

"Come on," Meisai said, setting off for the front stairs of the palace. Now let's just hope Marudashi isn't anywhere near…

Inuyasha lagged behind a few paces, in no particular hurry. It wasn't like Kagome was going anywhere; he'd just have to make sure Meisai got her back to the others, so they could bury her or cremate her or whatever they planned to do. Then, he could find Marudashi.

He didn't care if it killed him. He was going to make her pay.

Wait for me, Kagome… I'm coming.

8 8 8

In the Grand Library, deep in the dark palace, Marudashi searched the endless shelves of books and scrolls and manuscripts. It had to be there… This library contained every book that had ever been written and ever would be written, so how it could not have the prophecies of Midoriko?

Her eyes lit, a sigh of relief escaping her as she finally spotted the ancient scrolls. She stood up on her toes, snatching the prophecies off of their high shelf and hurrying over to the large table set in the middle of the room. She unrolled them, scanning over the first few pages quickly, until she found what she was looking for. It was just one line, a single, short sentence, but it had always puzzled her:

"Today, a heartless goddess appeared before me."

It sounded like some kind of unfinished journal entry – it was even dated at the top – like she had been visited by some cold, uncaring deity, but something had come up and she hadn't been able to finish the entry. Then, even more puzzling, the manuscript just broke off there. The last foot or so of the scroll was left blank, and then the prophecies started up again on a fresh page, but in a different hand. It was as if the prophetess had suddenly found a scribe to write for her.

Marudashi frowned to herself, resting her chin in her upturned hand. 'Heartless.' Could it be..? She had returned to the Throne Room after making sure that Meisai and the hanyou had really gone, but when she got there, Kagome's body was gone. There was nothing left there but a few stains on the floor. She had been puzzled, and then this passage had come to mind, sending a shiver up her spine. She'd taken Kagome's heart… Could she had gone and appeared before Midoriko?

She shook her head. She was being foolish. The girl was dead. She'd made sure of it herself. There was no way she could go appearing before any priestesses in other times.

"But now… I'm the Goddess," she whispered to herself, as a new idea took hold in her mind. Maybe.. it wasn't Kagome the prophecy spoke of, but Marudashi!

She smirked to herself. Maybe she'd go pay the prophetess a little visit…

8 8 8

"…Kagome…"

"…Wake up, Kagome…"

"…Kagome..!"

"Dang it, Kagome! I'm not going to sit here all day waiting for you to get up!"

Kagome's eyes snapped open, staring around her wildly. With a comment like that, she would have expected Inuyasha to be standing over her, growling about how they were running late and if Naraku got all the shards it would be all her fault for sleeping in.

She didn't expect, however, to see her own face staring back at her.

With a cry, she sat bolt upright and began scooting away, before doubling over as a searing pain lanced through her chest.

"You shouldn't move. You're nowhere near completely healed yet," her mirror image said sternly, her hands reaching out to grasp Kagome's shoulders and pull her firmly back to lie on the futon beneath her. It was then that Kagome really got a good look at her face. They could have been sisters, twins even, except that this woman was years older than her, probably nearing thirty. …Plus, the blank white orbs where her eyes should have been sort of threw the whole image off.

Kagome gulped and stared in horror at the woman's face even as she allowed herself to be laid out on the thin mattress again. "Yes, I'm blind," the woman said curtly, pulling Kagome's hands down by her sides and laying a cotton kimono over her like a blanket.

Kagome's mouth dropped open in surprise. "How- How did you know that-"

"That you were staring at me? Because while I can't see the physical world around me, I have seen it all here," she tapped the side of her head, "in my mind's eye. I have seen every moment of everyday of your life, Kikyou's life, and parts of Hitotoki's life. I know where everything is all the time, I know what you're going to say and when you're going say it, and I even know that my son is about to get in serious trouble if he doesn't get away from that door and stop listening in on conversations that don't concern him."

Kagome blinked when a muffled gasp could be heard from beyond the wooden door on the other side of the room, quickly followed by the sounds of someone's hasty retreat.

The woman drew a deep, cleansing breath, then leveled her sightless gaze on Kagome once more, sending a shiver down the girl's spine. "You're no doubt wondering who I am and why I look like you. So I will tell you right now – I am Midoriko. Yes, the same Midoriko you have seen entombed in the exterminator's village, only, as you can see, I am not dead yet. And neither are you."

Kagome frowned up at the woman, trying to find her voice and failing. So she wasn't dead? But… "What- What happened..?" she finally managed.

Midoriko gazed down at her for a moment, her blank eyes blinking slowly. She seemed to be considering her words, or else trying to determine just what Kagome wanted to know. "Your soul has been restored to you," she finally said slowly, "in full."

Kagome frowned, her head feeling fuzzy. Her soul? But.. she hadn't lost her soul, had she? "What about Marudashi?" she asked, closing her eyes as he throat scratched painfully.

"She thinks she has taken your place," Midoriko said coldly, a sudden aura of white-hot rage pouring out around her. Her smile was nasty as Kagome began to drop off again. "But you'll show her. I know you will."

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A/N: Heh. Well, what could possibly be going on here, I wonder? My lips are sealed, until next chapter, anyway n.n

Please review!